Students, environmental group plant oysters in Barnegat Bay

Students joined an environmental group Friday to help restore Barnegat Bay's oyster population.

Students from Monmouth University and members of the environmental group the American Littoral Society grew the oysters and arranged for Friday's planting.

Some drove hours from other states to help plant oysters into the bay.

Over 100,000 baby oysters called spat were grown from larvae and will eventually form a reef.

"We want to see the fish on the oyster reef," said Al Modjeski, of the American Littoral Society. "We want to see the crabs on the oyster reefs, so as the oysters grow they are providing all this other habitat."

Habitat oysters create oxygen for other sea life while cleaning dirty water.